Rotary engine



Dec. 22, 1936. s. STRAZ-ZULLA ROTARY ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I FiledNov." 1, 1935 Dec. 22, 1936.

S. STRAZZULLA ROTARY ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 1, 1935 Jeiaf wJim 224154 Patented Dec. 22, 1936 PATENT OFFICE ROTARY ENGINE SebastianoStrazzulla, Genova, Italy Application November 1, 1935, Serial No.47,869

In Italy December 20, 1934 4 Claims. (01. 253-68) This invention relatesto a rotary engine by which it is possible to employ as driving fluidcombustion gases, superheated or usual steams.

The object of the invention is to provide an engine of the above kind bywhich the drop of pressure and/or temperature of the fluid measured atthe inlet and at the outlet side is'transformed for the maximum part touseful mechanical power.

According to the invention this is attained by providing a rotor havingsubstantially the form of two frustrums of cones joined'by their largerbases and by arranging on this rotor a number of helical grooves runningfrom the outer ends of the rotor to its central part and by arranging inthese grooves a number of partition vanes that are perforated in theirtop part and solid in their bottom part. The perforations of thepartitions are made in such a direction as to blow the driving fluidagainst one of the side-walls of the corresponding groove and againstthe solid part of the next following partition.

The sectional area of the grooves increases from the inlet to the outletend thereof and the 5 partitions are arranged in each groove-at anincreased distance from the inlet to the outlet end.v

In this manner the total drop of pressure and temperature is subdividedinto a number of partial expansions by each of which the gas worksprincipally by impact against the solid walls.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in theattached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the rotor of an engine according to theinvention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the complete engine; Figure 3 is a section online IIIHI of Fig- .ure 2;

Figure 4 is a plan view at a larger scale of a portion of two adjacentgrooves;

Figure 5 is a vertical section through one of .the grooves;

Figures 6 and 7 are respectively a front view and a transversal sectionof fluid inlet member, and l Figure 8 is a section on line VIIIVIII ofFigure 2.

According to the invention the rotor A is con- I stituted by a hollowbody shaped as two frustrums of cones joined by their larger bases.The-outer surface of 'the frustrums of cones-is subdivided by a numberof helical walls W into a number of grooves B and B" the sectional areaof which increases from the outer end towards the center portion of therotor, where they end into outlet chambers D of substantiallyprismatical shape. The bottoms of the grooves are constituted preferablyby a number of substantially cylindrical sections joined together byupright wall as shown in Figure 5.

The rotor A is housed with a tight fit in a casing H showing a likeform. Both onthe rotor and on the shaft E keyed to the rotor, as well ason the casing or stator H suitable labyrinth joints CC'C"C"' arearranged in order to 5 prevent the leakage of the driving fluid betweenthe shaft E and the casing.

At the outer ends of the stator two annular fluid distributors J-J' areinserted. These distributors blow the fluid into the inlet ends of the10 grooves (Figures 6 and '7). At the center of the stator an annularcollector L is arranged from which two diametrically opposite outletconduits M are fitted. The fluid is fed to the annular distributors Jand J' through pipes N and N 15 leading from a valved distributing pipeN". These distributers are in the nature of nozzles for feeding thefluid to the opposite ends of the rotor A.

The working'of the engine is as follows: 20

The fluid admitted through the pipes N and N into the annulardistributor J-J is blown through openings 0 against one of the solidside walls of the corresponding helical groove and against the solidpart of the first partition P 25 (Figure 5) and thus imparts to therotor a certain impulse. The fluid expands into the cham-' ber definedby the groove, the corresponding portion of the annular distributor thecorresponding portion of the casing and the first partition P' 30 andflows then through the openings of the first partition P and is blown inthe same manner against the second partition P and so on to the outletend. Owing to the fact that the fluid impacts against the solid part ofthe partitions P 35 it drives the rotor and the shaft keyed thereto witha great efliciency. ,As the total expansion of the fluid is effected ina number of partial expansions and on a great length, the drop ofpressure and temperature is correspondingly subdi- 40 vided thuspermitting to employ high pressure and high temperature gases or steamwithout need for artificial cooling.

It is understood that the invention may be embodied in many other wayswithin the spirit 45 of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. A rotary engine comprising in combination a hollow stator ofsubstantially biconical shape,

'means for supporting this stator, a substantially 5 biconical rotorsnugly fltting within the saidstator, a shaft integral of this rotor,journal bearings on the supports of the stator, labyrinth joints at theends of the stator and complementary labyrinth joints on the adjacentpart of the ro- 55 tor and the shaft, a double set of helical groovesleading from the ends of the rotor to the center portion thereof, anumber of partially perforated partitions fitted. at increasingdistances within the said grooves, solid annular distributors arcoranged in the stator adjacent the inlet ends of the helical groovesof-the rotor, nozzles on these distributors, a fluid supply pipeconnected to either of these distributors, and fluid discharge conduitsarranged in diametrically opposite points of the center portion of thestator, in

front of the discharge ends of the helical grooves.

2. A rotary engine according to claim 1, by which the helical groovesare of increased sectional area from their inlet to their outlet ends,outlet chambers being provided at the outlet ends of said grooves.

3. A rotary engine according to claim 1, by which the partitions fittedwithin the helical grooves have nozzle like perforations in their upperpart through which the driving fluid is the partitions are fitted,constituted of blade like members solid in their lower part and havingnozzle like perforations in their upper part, with their axes directedagainst the solid part of the next lying partition.

. SEBASTIANO STRAZZULLA.

